Refrigerating device



June J. r. BE RTRAND 2,121,381

' 1 1 REFRIGERATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 27. 1936 Inventor y Attorney Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE- 7 2,121,381 REFRIGERATING DEVICE Joseph Ttu Bertrand, Isle Verte, Quebec, Canada Application August 2'7, 1936, Serial No. 98,240

In Canada October IE, 1935 1 Claim.

the construction of the apparatus since the various members of the apparatus are easy of access for inspection or repairs and, in a general manner, to better adapt the apparatus to perform the function expected.

These objects are obtained by means of the apparatus illustrated in the annexed drawing,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial vertical section taken through the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a section taken along line C-D of Figure l, V

Figure 3 is a section taken on line EF of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal partial section of the apparatus roof showing the details of certain parts thereof.

Referring to the drawing, wherein similar reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout, 1 represents the frame of the refrigerator. This frame is completed by means of lateral Walls l2 and an upper wall 6, both of metal, the object of which will be explained later The sides, ends and the upper part of the frame are covered with peat mattresses 8, II and 5 respectively. The mattresses 8 and 5 are generally kept damp by means of water obtained from the melting of ice contained in reservoirs 4 disposed immediately above the mattress 5, at the centre of the metallic wall 6. The reservoirs 4 are insulated from the outside temperature by means of a partition 3 covered also with a layer of dry peat 2, the whole being covered by means of an impermeable canvas l. The sides of the refrigerator are protected by panels 9 arranged as louvres, and provided to prevent damage to the mattresses 8, while permitting circulation of air at the surface thereof.

The ends of the refrigerator are closed by a suitable wall l0, provided to protect the mattresses H. Air ducts at l3 and I4 provide a certain air circulation inside the refrigerator, according to the arrows of the drawing, namely: from the bottom to the top.

The roof of the refrigerator is completed by the addition of reservoirs I5 which serve to store the Water resulting from the melting of the ice in 4, said Water saturating thereafter" the mattresses 5 and 8. Additional reservoirs It can be filled with water to aid the saturation of mattresses 8 should theice water fail, or to supple merit this last. These mattresses, which are in direct contact with the metallic walls 6 and I2 can, therefore, absorb, through these conducting walls, the inside heat according to a phenomenon Ill explained later on. 7

Finally, planks l8, I9, 20 separate the ice reservoir 4 from the lateral reservoirs, these planks being provided with inversed V-shaped orifices 2i. tor, hooks or the like ll are secured inside and are used to attach thereon food to be kept cool. In order to gain access to the inside of the refrigerator, a door, indicated at 22, Figure 3, may be provided in one end wall In, said door having the same respective Wall arrangement of metal, insulation and canvas covering. Furthermore, replacement of the ice supply may be effectuated in any convenient manner, such as suggested in Fig. 2. Panels 23 may be cut in-the 25 roof, whereby the partition 3 with dry layer 2 and canvas covering I can be lifted easily, in sections, thereby exposing the cavity 4 containing the ice. Said panels being narrower than the breadth between elements l8, the roof structure is consequently not weakened and construction simplified.

During the operation of this apparatus, which may be installed on an ordinary truck, the cold is produced directly by the ice reservoir 4 and also by the application of the well-known principle of absorption of heat during evaporation of water; the cold temperature inside is maintained by proper insulation of the refrigerator by means of light absorbent and insulating material,

namely: peat moss, which is used in the form of a mattress 8 and freely in the walls H and the receptacles 2 and 2' above the ice reservoir 4.

The ice contained in the reservoir 4, during melting, saturates with cold water the layer of moss 5 upon which it directly rests. This moss rests in its turn upon a metallic wall 6 which forms the roof of the refrigerator and maintains inside said refrigerator a cool temperature as long as the peat 5 is damp. The water surplus coming from the ice reservoir escapes into the reservoir I6 While circulating through the peat 5 under the action of capillarity. Another function of these cold water reservoirs I6 is also to store rain water or other water should the ice supply In order to complete the refrigera- 15 fail. In that case, the cold is produced only by evaporation of water on the surface of mattresses 8 which remain damp due to the slow infiltration of water from reservoirs I6.

Between the cold water reservoirs I6 and the ice reservoir 4 are receptacles 2 filled with dry moss; the function thereof is to thermically insulate the reservoirs l6 and the space 15 of the ice reservoir 4.

On each side, and on the walls of the refrigerator-box, are peat moss mattresses 8 wherein spaces are provided (see Fig. 2). These mattresses, which receive a certain dampness from the moss layer over which the ice in 4 rests directly, have for a function to provide surfaces adaptable to the evaporation of the water therein under the action of the surrounding moving air, whereby to produce inside the refrigerator a temperature cool enough to help preserve the perishable products stored therein. It is easy to understand that the lowering of the temperature inside the refrigerator box will be proportional to the movement of the air, which movement is accelerated by the speed of the truck. It is evident that the heat absorption is easy, through the metallic walls [2 which have been provided for that purpose.

Conversely, the mattresses provided around the refrigerator could, during cold weather, and whenever kept dry, prevent frost from penetrating inside the refrigerator, the outside surface of these mattresses being protected against weather by canvas or the like, the surface of which could advantageously be used for advertising purposes.

It will be noted in I8, l9 and 20 that planks are provided with small apertures 2| formed on the lower edge thereof and which assume a shape of inverse Vs (Fig. 4). These planks rest directly on the damp moss layer 5 and on the upper part of the apertured mattresses 8 and serve the purpose of partitions between the dry insulating moss 2, the ice reservoir 4, and the reservoirs l5 and H5. The purpose of the apertures 2| is to prevent damming of the water from the melting ice and to regulate the flow thereof.

The refrigerator is covered on all its surfaces,

as stated previously, by a canvas l which is adapted to protect from rain the dry mattresses 2, 2'. The dry moss receptacles protect efficiently the ice of the reservoir 4 against the heat of the sun and avoid losses therefrom.

A ventilating system is necessary inside the refrigerator to remove humidity and keep fresh and in perfect hygienic condition the products stored therein. This is accomplished by m ns of the inlet and air outlet l3 and I4. The air is sucked inside the refrigerator by the movement of the truck, said air travelling through the mattress 8 which acts as a filter and prevents entrance into the refrigerator of the road dust. After circulating inside, the air is pushed outside through the outlet I4. This movement is accelerated by the speed of the truck.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes as to the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:--

A refrigerator of the character described, comprising a metallic inner casing, a porous mattress disposed against the outer surface of the casing at the top thereof, an ice chamber formed over said mattress, reservoirs formed adjacent the ice chamber and over the mattress to receive a portion of the water produced from the melting of the ice, the remaining portion being absorbed by the mattress by capillarity, lateral mattresses disposed against the sides of the casing and adapted to be wetted by capillarity with the water of the upper mattress, an insulating dry layer arranged over the ends of the casing, dry porous means thermally insulating the top of the refrigerator above the ice chamber and water reservoirs, ventilating apertures at the top and bottom of the casing for circulating air inside the same, a weather-proof canvas over the upper insulating layer, and louvres disposed outwardly of the lateral mattresses for evaporating the water contents thereof by air currents.

JOSEPH TETU BERTRAND. 

